These Easy Baked Parmesan Zucchini Bites are a go-to appetizer or side dish for any occasion. All ingredients are combined at once, making it super easy and quick to prepare. One bowl, one spatula, one baking dish. Done! Even better, they can be made ahead and frozen!
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This has been a family favorite recipe for decades. It's perfect for any time of day and any day of the week. Plus, you can change up the vegetables and spices as you wish. Add some cooked sausage, bacon or ham, too, if you're not looking to keep things vegetarian. The make-ahead-and-freeze aspect is perfect for meal prepping!
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What tastes good with zucchini?
Even though zucchini is available throughout the year, it's at its peak abundance in the summer as gardens tend to overflow with this versatile veg. Zucchini have a mild flavor that's slightly sweet and becomes more concentrated when cooked, making it perfect to go with a variety of other produce, proteins, dairy, herbs and spices.
In addition to this zucchini recipe, it's delicious in these Paella Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Shrimp, Grilled Halibut Packets and Easy Shakshuka with Tomato Sauce.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
As with all recipes, here are starting points for the main components and suggestions you can have fun with to make it all your own!
Vegetables - Zucchini is the dominant veggie in this dish but I added onion and red bell pepper for some bite and color. Mushrooms, eggplant and seeded tomatoes would also work. And, you can substitute yellow squash for the green.
Cheese - Parmesan takes the lead here. I love the nutty flavor and it also helps bind the mixture together. If you want to turn these into really cheesy zucchini bites, add shredded cheddar, fontina, mozzarella or creamy jack cheese.
Herbs & Spices - I combined fresh parsley and marjoram here. Basil, oregano, tarragon and chives would be great choices as well. For a little kick, I added garlic powder and Cajun seasoning. Depending on your spice tolerance, you could always add a pinch of cayenne or Hungarian hot paprika.
Binders - Bisquick, vegetable oil and eggs are the dry and wet batter bringing the rest of the ingredients together for a light, fluffy consistency when baked.
What if I don't have Bisquick?
You can totally make your own bisciut mix for this recipe! Simply combine 1 cup flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening in a food processor until well blended. Check out this biscuit mix recipe if you’d like to make a big batch.
Cooking Steps
How much prep is involved?
It takes all of maybe 15 minutes to chop the veggies and measure out the other ingredients. And all of which goes into a large bowl. Grab a spatula and gently fold until the mixture is well combined. Once your mixture is homogenous and happy, simply spread into a casserole dish as evenly as you can.
How long do they bake?
The dish then heads into a 350-degree oven. You're basically making a bisquick zucchini casserole. The filling becomes puffy and light with a golden crust and tender vegetables in just 25-30 minutes. In the last five minutes of baking, you can always sprinkle on a little more parm to enhance the crusty top.
How to serve?
When cool enough to handle, we like to cut them into smaller pieces for appetizers or carve out larger portions for a tasty side dish. They're perfect for brunch, holiday buffets throughout the year, and great to have on hand for unplanned get togethers and breakfast on the go. Hope you enjoy!
Expert Tips
Here are a few things to keep in mind when putting this dish together.
- Try to have your eggs at room temperature for more even baking.
- Keep the zucchini slices around ¼ inch. Using a mandoline helps with uniformity if you have one.
- You can do the chopping and measuring ahead of mixing everything together. But Do Not assemble the casserole well ahead of baking. The eggs can deflate and the mixture risks getting gummy.
- Use cookie cutters to make fun shapes out of the baked casserole for the kiddos!
How to Store Leftovers, Freeze & Reheat
This super easy zucchini bites recipe is perfect for meal prepping. They hold up well in the fridge, in the freezer and you can literally enjoy them anytime of day.
Storing Leftovers
If there happens to be leftovers you don't plan to freeze, store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days. See Reheating instruction below.
Freezing
Once the baking dish cools completely, cut the baked zucchini into your desired shapes and sizes. Set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to freeze. When frozen, seal in a freezer-safe bag and freeze up to 4 months.
Reheating
Bake frozen at 375°F for 12-15 minutes, and around 8 minutes if thawed. You can always microwave them, but the oven will yield a more crispy outside, tender inside result.
FAQs
No need! The skin is thin, unassuming and palatable. Plus, the dark color indicates it's nutrient rich so you want to keep it intact. For this recipe, all you need to do is give them a good rinse, trim the ends, halve vertically, then slice into half moons.
I think fresh is best here but frozen zucchini will work. Be sure to let it thaw completely and wring out as much moisture as possible with a dish towel or paper towels. You don’t want the mixture to be watery. Add more Bisquick or some panko breadcrumbs if needed.
They sure can. You can substitute a gluten-free flour for the Bisquick, but you'll need to add the baking powder, salt and vegetable shortening as indicated above. You can also try a blend of gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs.
More Easy Vegetarian Appetizers to Try!
Mushroom Stuffed Portobellos (Keto & GF!)
French Onion Smashed Potato Bites (GF)
Baked Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Lime Dip (GF)
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde (Vegan & GF)
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📋 Recipe
Easy Baked Parmesan Zucchini Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups zucchini, ¼-inch half-moon slices
- 1 cup Bisquick mix
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, slightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9 casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients with a spatula until well combined.
- Spread mixture into prepared dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and set in the center.
- Let cool 10 minutes before cutting into triangles, squares or desired shape. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Going to try this for my daughter's upcoming birthday party. Do you have a dipping recommendation to serve it with?
Awesome! I think this versatile Creamy Green Herb Sauce would be great along with store-bought or homemade pesto. Let me know how it goes!
I saw this on IG Kim. I have so many zucchini right now, I need all the help I can get! Gonna try this this week. I'll let you know how it goes.
Awesome! They're great to freeze too. Hope you like them Beth!
Can't wait to make this when we get fresh Jersey zucchini!